Decolorization of Several Polymeric Dyes by the Lignin-Degrading Basidiomycete Phanerochaete chrysosporium

The polymeric dyes Poly B-411, Poly R-481, and Poly Y-606 were examined as possible alternatives to the radiolabeled lignin previously used as a substrate in lignin biodegradation assays. Like lignin degradation, the decolorization of these dyes by the white rot basidiomycete Phanerochaete chrysosporium occurred during secondary metabolism, was suppressed in cultures grown in the presence of high levels of nitrogen, and was strongly dependent on the oxygen concentration in the cultures. A variety of inhibitors of lignin degradation, including thiourea, azide, and 4'-O-methylisoeugenol, also inhibited dye decolorization. A pleiotropic mutant of P. chrysosporium, 104-2, lacking phenol oxidase and ligninolytic activity was also not able to decolorize the polymeric dyes, whereas a phenotypic revertant strain, 424-2, regained this capacity. All of these results suggest that the ligninolytic degradation activity of the fungus was responsible for the decolorization of these dyes.